The present invention relates to food containers and dispensers and, more particularly, to a combination food container and feeding spoon for dispensing a non-solid food.
The most common application for the present invention is for the use of containing and dispensing baby food although it is appreciated that other uses for the invention to be described herein may be made. Most baby foods for the "infant" and "junior" categories are packaged in glass bottles which have removable lids. There are several disadvantages to the contemporary method of marketing and the packaging of baby foods. First, the bottles typically weigh at least six ounces which is not too heavy when only one or two bottles are purchased. However, typically dozens of such bottles are purchased at one time to maintain adequate supply. The individual weights of each bottle add up and can amount to several pounds which must be carried from the grocery store to the home. Moreover, the physical size of storing many baby food bottles requires unnecessary cupboard space and the bottles do not stack very neatly. In addition, the contents of the jars or bottles are usually more than can be consumed by an infant at any one meal which means that the jars have to be refrigerated for further use. Further, the jars typically have to be heated or warmed for feeding and care must be taken to ensure that the contents are not overheated to prevent discomfort or burning of the infant.
Yet another disadvantage of the packaging of baby food in bottles is that the contents have to be removed from the jar for feeding. In most cases the parent removes the contents of the jar with a spoon while feeding the infant and holding the jar. This can cause problems as it may be difficult to control the infant during feeding while holding the jar in one hand and the spoon in the other hand. Any parent who has contended with feeding a normal active child is aware of the many inherent disadvantages of the use of baby food jars.
There is at least one patent to Read, U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,222, which illustrates a combined container and spoon assembly for eliminating the disadvantages inherent in the use of baby food jars. The Read patent discloses a combined disposable food container and spoon device which includes a collapsible envelope portion for containing a predetermined quantity of non-solid food. A substantially rigid spoon portion having a bowl is formed with an elongated handle which extends the length of the envelope portion. The handle is bonded to the envelope to form the composite container and spoon assembly with one end of the envelope being adjacent to the bowl of the spoon. The end of the envelope adjacent the spoon bowl is severable such that when opened, the food in the envelope may be squeezed out through this opening into the bowl in controlled quantities.
Although the Read patent provides a good solution to the inherent disadvantages of glass jars it also suffers from several disadvantages which are desirable to overcome. In order to be able to squeeze out the contents of the envelope the combined handle and spoon assembly must be significantly longer than the palm of ones hand in order to be able to use ones thumb, for instance, to slide along the envelope to push the contents out the open end thereof. While moving the thumb the handle has to be continuously moved through the hand which due to the length of the combined assembly can make it difficult to get the spoon portion of the assembly into the infant's mouth without creating a messing situation.
It is therefore desirable to provide a combination disposable food container and dispenser, particularly suited for dispensing baby food, that is not subject to the disadvantages of the prior art.